The Pine Tree Pirates went toe-to-toe with one of District 9-4A Division I’s top teams Friday night, but came up just short in a 17-10 road loss to the Lindale Eagles at Eagle Stadium. The defeat drops Pine Tree to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in district play, while Lindale improves to 8-1 and 4-1, securing second place in the standings.
Both defenses dominated early, trading field goals in the opening quarter: a 31-yarder from Lindale’s Camden Lane and a 33-yarder by Julian Ibarra for Pine Tree to make it 3-3 after one. Lindale then struck twice in the second quarter on short touchdown runs, building to a 17-3 halftime advantage.
Pine Tree’s defense responded in a big way after the break, holding Lindale scoreless and to just 77 total yards in the second half. Senior linebacker Dalan Montgomery sparked the rally with an interception late in the third quarter, setting up the Pirates at the Lindale 28. Moments later, quarterback Colton Croft found Ashton Valentine for a two-yard touchdown, trimming the deficit to 17-10 with 1:38 left in the third.
The Pirates continued to battle in the fourth quarter. Ja’Karius Timmons broke a 25-yard run deep into Eagle territory, but a devastating fumble at the Lindale 21 ended the drive. Pine Tree forced another stop and regained possession with just over six minutes left, driving again to the Lindale 28. However, a false start penalty on fourth down pushed the Pirates back, and a sickening sack and fumble recovery by the Eagles’ defense sealed the game in the final minutes.
Timmons led Pine Tree’s rushing attack with 95 yards on 16 carries, while Croft completed 18 of 31 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown. The Pirate defense held Lindale to just 77 total yards after halftime and forced two takeaways.
With one week remaining in the regular season, the Pirates still remain comfortably in the playoff picture and will return home to host Palestine next Friday night at Pirate Stadium. Pine Tree will look to bounce back, finish strong, and carry momentum into the postseason.
